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As school starts for over 75,000 kids in Milwaukee Public Schools this month, Hunger Task Force will join Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver at Congress Elementary School on Friday, September 25 at 9:30 a.m. to launch No Kid Hungry Wisconsin. Nearly 83 percent of children in the Milwaukee Public School District qualify for free or reduced priced lunch, yet only 37 percent are eating school breakfast.

To combat this problem, Hunger Task Force has partnered with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to connect more kids in Milwaukee with the healthy food they need every day. Earlier this year, No Kid Hungry selected Hunger Task Force as one of six organizations nationwide to receive a grant through the Social Innovation Fund. This grant allows Hunger Task Force to implement a proven strategy to ending childhood hunger by serving Breakfast in the Classroom at schools within the Milwaukee Public School District.

Over the next three years we can ensure 8,000 additional kids start their day with a healthy meal by overcoming barriers like transportation and stigma that otherwise keep students from getting breakfast. “Fueling kids’ minds, development and esteem with a nutritious meal at the start of the day will have a huge impact on their ability to succeed inside and outside the classroom,” says Sherrie Tussler, Hunger Task Force Executive Director. School breakfast can make a dramatic difference in students’ lives. According to research by Deloitte, students who regularly eat school breakfast have been shown to achieve 17.5 percent higher scores on standardized math tests and attend 1.5 more days of school per year. These benefits make it 20 percent more likely for a student to graduate from high school and build a successful career.

“We know kids need fuel each morning to learn, and in school district after school district we’ve seen the difference Breakfast in the Classroom can make,” said Adrienne Allen, Director, No Kid Hungry, Social Innovation Fund. “We’ve talked to teachers and school staff who have seen breakfast transform their students’ lives. Some who initially had reservations now tell us it’s the best thing that’s happened in their classroom.”